Death row is not where one would expect to
find a life-affirming message. But this is not a usual film. With much of
the same depth and strength of his earlier “Shawshank
Redemption,” author Stephen King gives us a glimpse into the
struggle of good and evil in the lives of prisoners on death row.

Though it is also not specifically religious, the film presents a Biblical
worldview. The warden and leading characters are all church-attending
Christians and the Christian care and respect for prisoners is clearly shown
as they attempt to not only guard them from escape, but also to guard their
human dignity.

Presented as the flashback of an elderly man in a retirement home, the
primary story occurs in a southern penitentiary in 1935.

Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks in 1935; Dabbs Greer in 1999) is the officer in
charge of section E, the death row of the prison. They call their cell block
“The Green Mile,” because the floor of the prison is painted green on this
last mile a prisoner walks before reaching the electric chair.

Edgecomb is joined by Brutus “Brutal” Howell (David Morse), a large man who
shares Edgecomb’s underlying respect for the human beings who are assigned
to their care, and two other humane guards. Together, they create a loving
community in this most unlikely of places.

This is the first strength of the film. In a world where evil is done and
justice is required, it is difficult to preserve the dignity of even a
condemned prisoner. Yet, time after time, in scene after scene, these men
model how truly humane people should behave themselves, both in their gentle
respect and in their justice.

There are some
differences in the image quality but I don't know if they are anything
to get excited over. I don't think the image benefited from the film
being spread over two discs - as it is in the new Special Edition.
Colors may be marginally truer in the new double disc release, but bottom line is
that the image is not significantly improved upon in the Special
Edition in fact in some areas I prefer the older more compressed
appearance. A shade of the digital noise from the old release has been
removed and the new image is smoother.

Where the new DVD package
is superior are the extras which include an extensive commentary by
director/writer Frank Darabont (few gaps in the 3 hour film - he talk a
lot). I really enjoyed listening to him - here is a man who knows his
stuff pointing out detail after detail of the film including extraneous
information that you would thought he might not even be aware of. He
also expresses a strong knowledge and respect for films of the past
which he intermittently draws upon in The Green Mile. The Behind-the-Scenes Documentary Walking the Mile
is duplicated from the first release but there is much added - Two
Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary, Tom Hanks Makeup Tests, Michael
Clarke Duncan Screen Test and a new 90-minute Miracles and Mystery:
Creating the Green Mile: A 6-Part Documentary. So you are really
getting your money's worth. I was a bit disappointed the feature was
spread over two DVDs but I suppose it is nice for an 'intermission' of
sorts to swap discs.

Some film
fans snobbishly reject this offering from Darabont with unfair
expectations after his masterful
The Shawshank Redemption. Another prison based film from a
Stephen King literary work - but I personally loved it. It certainly
harkens to a modern Capraesque feel with extensive effort in small
details. Darabont is a solid director and while this is no masterpiece -
it is better than it has been given credit for.